After the way last year ended, perhaps the most important question the Giants answered yesterday was this: How were the snaps and the holds on special teams?

“Today was good,” kicker Matt Bryant said. “Everything was good.”

Yes, they were. Bryant hit field goals of 24, 47 and 44 yards and kicked the ball off reasonably well in the Giants’ 23-13 victory over the Rams. The kicking game looked, for lack of a better term, special.

“It makes a huge difference when you are a kicker or a punter if you don’t have to worry about anything else,” said new Giants punter Jeff Feagles, who placed a couple of kicks inside the 10-yard line.

Bryant was a rookie last year. Now, he is much more confident. He owns a stronger, more secure attitude due to his experience and the competition that veteran kicker Mike Hollis gave Bryant in camp.

“Last year, I was trying to hit a home run every time,” Bryant said. “This go around, I’m just trying to stay within myself, realizing that I can make the big kicks and not try to prove to everybody that I can make it from 70 yards.”

Like everyone else on the Giants, the memory of last year’s botched field goal attempt at the end of the playoff game in San Francisco is singed in Bryant’s mind. He knew the front office made special teams a focal point this offseason.

“Special teams was a big point the eam addressed,” Bryant said. “That was big for this year. The bottom line is going out there and doing your job.”

Bryant’s security is evident in his living arrangements. Last season, he waited toward midseason to get an apartment and a car. This season he is moved in and cruising around in a BMW.